The Prescribed Punishment for Drinking Wine - Section 1

English translation

Anas told that the Prophet (ﷺ) gave a beating with palm branches and sandals for drinking wine and that Abu Bakr gave forty lashes. (Bukhari and Muslim.) In a version on his authority it says that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to give forty stripes with palm branches and sandals for drinking wine.

English translation

As-Sa’ib b. Yazid said:

When a drinker was brought in the time of God’s Messenger, during Abu Bakr’s Caliphate and in the beginning of ‘Umar’s Caliphate, we beat him with our hands, sandals and cloaks, but at the end of ‘Umar’s Caliphate he inflicted forty stripes, and when people were immoderate and excessively wicked he inflicted eighty stripes. Bukhari transmitted it.

English translation

Jabir reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, “Beat anyone who drinks wine, and if he does it a fourth time kill him.” He said that after that a man who had drunk wine four times was brought to the Prophet (ﷺ) and he beat him, but did not kill him. Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Abu Dawud transmitted it on the authority of Qablsa b. Dhu’aib. Another version by both of them and by Nasa’i, Ibn Majah and Darimi on the authority of some of the companions of God’s Messenger, including Ibn ‘Umar, Mu'awiya, Abu Huraira and ash-Sharid, stops at “kill him.”* * This means that they gave only the Prophet’s words, and did not say anything about the man who was not killed.

English translation

‘Abd ar-Rahman b. al-Azhar said:

I can still picture myself looking at God’s Messenger when a man who had drunk wine was brought before him and he told the people to beat him. Some struck him with sandals, some with sticks and some with <i>mitakhas</i>. Ibn Wahb said this means green palm fronds. Then God’s Messenger took some dust from the ground and threw it in his face. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

English translation

Abu Huraira said:

When a man who had drunk wine was brought to God’s Messenger he told us to beat him, and some struck him with their hands, some with their garments and some with their sandals. He then told them to reproach him, and they faced him and said, “You have not respected God, you have not feared God, and you have not shown shame before God’s Messenger.” But when some of the people said, “God put you to shame!” he told them not to say that and help the devil to get power over him, but to say, “O God, forgive him. O God show mercy to him.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

English translation

Ibn ‘Abbas told that a man who had drunk and become intoxicated was found staggering in the road, so he was taken to God’s Messenger, but when he was opposite al-‘Abbas’s house he escaped, and going in to al-‘Abbas he grasped hold of him. When the Prophet (ﷺ) was told that he laughed and said, “Did he do that?” and he gave no command regarding him. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

English translation

‘Umair b. Sa'id an-Nakha‘i told that he heard ‘Ali b. Abu Talib say, “I am not one to have any feelings about a man who dies when I inflict a prescribed punishment on him, with the exception of one who has drunk wine, for if he were to die I would pay blood wit for him. Thai is because God’s Messenger did not lay down any specific custom regarding him.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

English translation

Thaur b. Zaid ad-Dailami told that ‘Umar sought counsel about the prescribed punishment for drinking wine and ‘Ali said to him, “I think you should give one who drinks it eighty lashes, for when he drinks he becomes intoxicated, when he is intoxicated he raves, and when he raves he makes up lies.” So ‘Umar inflicted eighty lashes as the punishment prescribed for drinking wine. Malik transmitted it.